Gliding missile toy



INVENTOR. 7/17/40 //1 r% Y wk) [far/er A fiwiaw May 4, 1965 P. NIXON GLIDING MISSILE TOY Filed May 17, 1963 United States Patent 3,181,269 GLIDING MISSHJE TOY Phiilip Nixon, 600 Glenview Drive, Glenview, Ill. Filed May 17, 1963, Ser. No. 281,098 Claims. (Ci. 46-79) This invention relates to toys and has particular relation to a manually propelled missile toy.

One purpose of the invention is to provide a missile toy which may be propelled by manual force alone.

Another purpose is to provide an air-supported missile which may be propelled a maximum distance through the air in response to the exertion of manual force alone.

Another purpose is to provide a missile toy having selfcontained means for achieving maximum stability in flight.

Another purpose is to provide a missile toy having self-contained means for providing maximum stability and maximum glide distance.

Another purpose is to provide a missile toy having aerodynamic configurations functioning additionally as handle means.

Another purpose is to provide a missile toy having stability-creating means free of aerodynamic influence.

Another purpose is to provide a missile toy having internally-contained, automatically movable means for adjusting the center of gravity during flight.

Another purpose is to provide a missile toy of maximum simplicity in construction and operation.

Other purposes will appear from time to time during the course of the specification and claims.

The invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view;

FIGURE 2 is a side view in partial cross section illustrating the parts at one point in the flight of the missile y;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view in partial cross section illustrating the parts in another position during the course of flight of the missile toy; and

FIGURE 4 is a front end view.

Like parts are indicated by like numerals throughout the specification and drawings.

Referring now to the drawings, the missile toy of the invention includes a nose cone section 1, a main fuselage section indicated generally by the numeral 2 and an empennage-handle portion 3.

As may be best seen in FIGURES 2 and 3, the nose section I may be formed of flexible or rubberlike material and may be generally hollow, as indicated at 4, the base of the nose 1 being seated within and secured by any r suitable means, such as a suitable adhesive, to the open, circular, forward end 5 of the fuselage section 2. A pair of main, swept-back wing sections 6, '7 are disposed horizontally from opposite sides of a central, substantially circular fuselage portion 8, which is hollow as indicated at 9. Secured, by any suitable means such as a strong adhesive and at a suitable rear point such as that indicated at It to the fuselage portion 8 is an empennage section 11. A forwardly open well 9a in section 11 mates with the hollow 9 in portion 8.

Pairings 12, 13 extend, respectively, from the rear edges of wing sections 6, 7 to the rear portion of fuselage section 2 and are continued in diverging courses to form rear wing or stabilizing planes I4, 15. It will be observed, in FIGURES 1 and 3, that the stabilizer planes 14, 15 have their outer edges lying in converging paths from substantially their center point and that the same are joined by reverse angle edges 16, 17 at the rear of the missile toy.

As may be best seen in FIGURES 2 and 4, the missile toy of the invention is provided with a dorsal fin 20 and a ventral fin 21, the leading edges of which diverge from points above and below the front portion of empennage section 11. The fins 20, 21 have their trailing edges lying in converging planes, the rear edges of which are joined by reverse angular edges 22, 23, respectively.

Slidably positioned within the hollow 9 of fuselage portion 8 is an elongated weight 25 having a length approximating half that of passage or tunnel 9. Secured to the rear edge of the weight 25 is a spring 26, the opposite end of which is secured as by any suitable means 27 to the bottom wall surface of the well 942.

The arrangement and assembly of the vehicle in three major sections will be understood as a preferred embodiment, it being recognized that the same may be varied without departing from the nature and scope of the invention.

The use and operation of the invention are as follows:

The user grasps the rear or empennage portion 3. At this point the weight 25 and spring 26 are in the position and configuration illustrated in FIGURE 3, the spring having closed and drawn the weight 25 rearwardly in fuselage section 2. The user then manually propels the missile into the air.

The force of manual propulsion upwardly into the air causes the weight 25 to move forwardly in hollow 9 and into the forwardmost possible position illustrated, for example, in FIGURE 2. As the forward motion of the missile dissipates, the force of spring 26 begins gradually to return the weight 25 toward the position illustrated in FIGURE 3. This occurs as the missile is decelerating and beginning to return to earth. As the weight 25 recedes in hollow 9 the center of gravity of the missile is thereby moved rearwardly along fuselage section 2 producing a maximum stability in flight and a maximum glide distance for the missile. The rearward shifting of the center of gravity toward the position illustrated in FIGURE 3 further provides for a flattening of the angle of attack of the aerodynamic surfaces 7, 6 and l4, 15, resulting in an acceptable glide and landing altitude.

The weight 25 and operating means 26, being entirely enclosed within fuselage section 2, are unaffected by relative wind forces and are free of impediments to movement which would be caused by landing or other damage to an exposed track or guide for weight 25. The movement of weight 25 and the consequent stability and glide distance are dependent upon the force of spring 26 and, when such spring force has been selected and established for maximum performance, the enclosure of weight 25 and spring 26 is effective to maintain the same.

Whereas there has been shown and described an operative form of the invention, it should be understood that this showing and description are to be taken in an illustrative or diagrammatic sense only. There are many modifications in and to the invention which will be apparent to those skilled in the art and which will fall within the scope and spirit of the invention. The scope of the invention should, therefore, be limited only by the scope of the hereinafter appended claims.

There is claimed:

1. A missile toy having a hollow tubular fuselage section, a front closure for said fuselage section, a rear closure for said fuselage section, said fuselage section and closures together forming an entirely closed internal tunnel, wing portions extending laterally from said fuselage section, stabilizer portions extending laterally from said rear closure, an elongated weight slidably mounted within said tunnel and having a length approximately half that of said tunnel, and yielding means urging said weight rearwardly within said tunnel and engaging one end of said weight and an opposed portion of one of said closures.

2. A missile toy having a fuselage portion, wing sections extending laterally from said fuselage portion, an

empennage section extending rearwardly from said fuselage portion, a nose section extending forwardly from said fuselage portion, said fuselage portion having an axial tunnel extending throughout the entire length thereof, said fuselage, empennage and nose sections together forming an entirely closed tunnel, an elongated weight slidably mounted within said tunnel and extending substantially half the length thereof, and yielding means within said tunnel formed and adapted to urge said weight rearwardly of said tunnel.

3. A missile toy having a fuselage portion, wing sections extending laterally from said fuselage portion, an empennage section extending rearwardly from said fuselage portion, a nose section extending forwardly from said fuselage portion, said fuselage portion having an axial passage extending throughout the entire length thereof, an elongated weight slidably mounted Within said passage, and yielding means Within said passage formed and adapted to urge said weight rearwardly of said passage, said nose and empennage sections serving to close the forward and rear open ends of said passage, said nose section being formed of flexible material, a chamber in said nose section, an orifice passage formed in said nose section and communicating said chamber with said axial passage.

4. A missile toy having a fuselage portion, wing sections extending laterally from said fuselage portion, an empennage section extending rearwardly from said fuselage portion, a nose section extending forwardly from said fuselage portion, said fuselage portion having an axial tunnel extending throughout the entire length thereof, an elongated weight slidably mounted within said tunnel and extending substantially half the length thereof, said fuselage portion, empennage and nose sections together forming an entirely closed tunnel, and yielding means Within said tunnel formed and adapted to urge said Weight rearwardly of said tunnel, said empennage section serving to close the rear open end of said tunnel and extending rearwardly therefrom a distance sufficient to form a manually operable handle portion for said toy, said yielding means being secured to a rear end of said Weight and to said empennage section.

5. A missile toy comprising a vehicle having the overall configuration of an aircraft, an elongated, tubular, entirely closed passage enclosed entirely within said aircraft and extending axially therewithin through a major portion of the length of said aircraft, an elongated weight slidably mounted in said passage, said weight having a length of the order of half the length of said passage, and yielding means positioned within said passage to urge said weight rearwardly thereof.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,398,391 4/46 Orkin 4676 2,820,322 1/58 White 4681 3,021,139 2/62 Buerosse 273106.5

FOREIGN PATENTS 396,274 6/24 Germany.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner. 

5. A MISSILE TOY COMPRISING A VEHICLE HAVING THE OVERALL CONFIGURATION OF AN AIRCRAFT, AN ELONGATED TUBULAR, ENTIRELY CLOSED PASSAGE ENCLOSED ENTIRELY WITHIN SAID AIRCRAFT AND EXTENDING AXIALLY THEREWITHIN THROUGH A MAJOR PORTION OF THE LENGTH OF SAID AIRCRAFT, AN ELONGATED WEIGHT SLIDABLY MOUNTED IN SAID PASSAGE, SAID WEIGHT HAVING A LENGTH OF THE ORDER OF HALF THE LENGTH OF SAID PASSAGE, AND YIELDING MEANS POSITIONED WITHIN SAID PASSAGE TO URGE SAID WEIGHT REARWARDLY THEREOF. 